Warm Hands
by GigglyYellowScarfGirl
Summary: Neville owes Professor Sprout a favor, otherwise he'd never be tutoring this girl.   I promise it's better than it sounds!


[This is another story written by Carlie, not Lucy. Everything but Anabelle and a few plant names belong to J.K. Rowling.  
>Dividing chapters is for the weak.]<p>

The words swam in front of Annabelle Wheeler's eyes. The greenhouse was swelteringly warm and filled with the unsettling sound of quills scratching parchment as the class breezed through Professor Sprout's written Herbology test. Everyone but Annabelle. She was still puzzling over the first question. What the hell did an Abyssinian Shrivelfig do?  
>Professor Sprout's voice drifted over the tables packed with 6th year students, "Quills down."<br>Despite being a generally levelheaded person, Annabelle panicked. She scribbled down semi-coherent answers to the first five questions in the time it took the professor to walk down the row of students and gather the tests. The moment the parchment left her hands, still trying to write the last few words of question six, her shoulders slumped down and her head hit the table. She groaned a mix of relief and frustration.

* * *

><p>"Annabelle, at this rate you won't pass Herbology." Professor Sprout frowned at her. "You were doing so well last year, I don't understand what happened."<p>

Annabelle was staring determinedly at the weeds on the ground. She held her test at her side. It was covered with red ink with the words "See me after class" circled at the top.  
>"I know." She mumbled back, the only reply the professor had gotten out of her.<p>

Professor Sprout's expression softened, reminding herself that Annabelle was at least trying, which was better than she could say for most of her students. "Would you like a tutor, dearie? I have several students that would be more than happy to assist you."  
>Annabelle shrugged for the third time in their interaction. "Sure."<br>"Perfect. I'll speak to-" the professor paused, looking out the door of the greenroom at a tall boy walking by. "Neville! Come here, sweetie." She shouted across the room. "That's Neville. He's the same year as you; a Gryffindor. One of my best students." She smiled proudly as the boy shuffled toward the two. "This is Annabelle." She gestured to the girl standing behind her, still frowning at the weeds. "She needs an Herbology tutor. Would you be willing to assist her?"  
>He nodded, "Of course, Professor."<br>Professor Sprout beamed at him. "I'll leave you two to work out a study schedule, then. She's in your hands now, Longbottom." She nodded at the two of them, and bustled out of the greenhouse, stopping briefly by the door to water a pot of Dittany.

An uncomfortable silence fell around the two, practically suffocating them. Neville shoved his hands deep in his pockets. Annabelle questioned whether they'd ever resurface.

"Erm, does 7:00 work for you? Every night? We can just study after dinner in the library or…" he trailed off, noticing her expression didn't get any friendlier.  
>"That's fine." She nodded shortly, and started to hurry past him. She paused a few feet away, glanced over her shoulder, and mumbled, "Thanks. See you later," and left.<br>"A regular bucket of sunshine, that one..." Neville kicked aside an old pot, and began to tidy up the greenhouse.

* * *

><p>Annabelle trudged towards the library around quarter to seven. She knew she had acted less than pleasant to that tall brown-haired boy. Truthfully, she thought he seemed very nice. She just didn't like the idea of needing a tutor.<br>Two minutes later, she plopped down onto a chair in the back of the library. A few minutes passed, and Neville walked in, holding a stack of large and intimidating looking books. He spotted her straight away, and walked over.

"Hey." He smiled weakly at her, placing the books at his side. She offered a small smile. His own broadened, grateful to have a positive reaction from her.

"Right, so I thought we'd start reading about the Screechsnap, if that's alright?" He glanced over at her, book in hand, half turned to the page already.

She nodded, and chuckled lightly. "You get really excited about Herbology, don't you?" He nodded back enthusiastically, and handed her the book.  
>"Now, the Screechsnap can be rather nasty. It's, um…" he tilted his head, trying to see the page clearly. "Sorry, um…" he tilted his head further, beginning to resemble an owl.<br>Annabelle turned in her chair so that her back was against his side, the book on better display to him in her lap.

"Erm… Right, so, that's a brief description…" He reached around her, and pointed to a paragraph on one side of the page. She nodded and started to read. He read another part of the page, horribly oblivious that there was a female-type person practically on top of him.

An hour later, Annabelle had nearly finished the chapter on Screechsnaps. She turned the page with one hand, while she brushed her hair over her shoulder with the other. Neville, who had previously been consumed by the book, was immediately distracted. A light brown blur flipped past his cheek, exposing her neck. He blushed, pulling back suddenly and standing up straight. He mumbled something about being tired and needing sleep, and hurried off to his common room, leaving Annabelle with seven large books and the surprising feeling of loneliness.

* * *

><p>A week and a half into studying, Neville decided that just reading books simply wasn't working for Annabelle. "I think you're more of a hands on learner, aren't you?" He glanced at her from his chair. She was seated next to him, frowning at the book he had placed in her hands ten minutes ago. She looked up to meet his gaze. "I guess." She shrugged. A blush formed around his cheeks when their eyes locked. He bit his lower lip lightly, and quickly turned back to his own book.<p>

After a few minutes of reading in silence, his eyes flying across each page, hers barely moving, Annabelle turned and gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, Nev. You've been a real help, you know that?" She thumped his shoulder affectionately.  
>He grinned at her, and ran his fingers through his hair to brush it out of his eyes. "No problem, you're a fast learner."<br>This time, it was Annabelle who blushed.

* * *

><p>"Anna? That you?" Neville's voice came from the back of the greenhouse. Annabelle nodded, and then remembered he couldn't see her.<p>

"Yeah, I'm here. Where are you?" She started to make her way towards the closed off part of the greenhouse, where she heard Neville's voice coming from.  
>"Back here." He said from the same direction she was walking.<p>

Being completely alone in a greenhouse with Neville made Annabelle almost nervous. He'd been studying with her everyday for a month, which is quite a bit of time to spend with someone. In this time, one might find themselves growing rather fond of the other person. One might even say that Annabelle Wheeler fancied him. Of course, if one said that out loud, they would probably be beaten or severely maimed.

"Nev?" She called out again, walking through the divider.  
>"Close your eyes." Came his voice from behind her, a smile apparent in his voice. He was much closer than she anticipated; she could feel him breathing lightly on her neck. Her face flushed, but she did as requested. "Nev, what are you doing?"<br>He placed his hands on her shoulders, guiding her farther in. "I was starting to think you'd just been using the pictures in the books to identify the plants. Now you need to do it by hearing or smelling them. Ok?"  
>She nodded, not quite sure if there was an appropriate response. This was a new Neville. He was more relaxed. He was in his element, and it showed. They stopped walking, but he didn't remove his hands.<br>Neville had guided them to a large plant with pink, purple, and sky blue blooms all over. It made the surrounding air smell strongly of lemongrass and peppermint.

Annabelle breathed in, and her mind went numb. "Wow." She exhaled, relaxing her shoulders and leaning slightly against him.  
>"What's the plant called? We read about it last week." His hands slid slowly down her arms to prevent her from tipping over.<br>"Um…" She struggled to form sentences. All she could think about was how good it smelled in here, and how warm he was. "It's a something-berry, right?"  
>"Aurorae Ecstantimun. It's Briarberry." He chuckled at her. "It can really effect your mind if you aren't prepared." He explained softly. His voice was low, almost seductive. He clearly didn't mean to sound as intense as he did. He watched her tip her head back a little more, against his chest. The voice in the back of his head told him that they really should go look at the other plants, but it was quickly washed out by the fuzziness the plant's smell created in his mind.<p>

He slid his hands onto the small of her back as she leaned against him. "Annabelle?" He smiled a little, feeling her press against him.  
>"Hm?" She mumbled, giggling as his breath hit her neck.<br>"I… You're falling over." His voice broke, his mumbling returned, and his hands leapt to her shoulders again, pulling her upright and taking a step backwards. "We have other plants we should cover, come on." He walked off to the left. He paused, glanced back at her confused face, took her hand gently, and pulled her behind him.

Annabelle frowned, but followed him.

* * *

><p>Annabelle was surprised how comfortable the study sessions remained. They met in the library the next day, smiling at each other as if nothing at all had happened. Annabelle sat next to him on a couch; him on the end, her stretched out with her legs in his lap, where he rested the book. One hand steadied it, while the other rested comfortably just above her knee. He was reading aloud something about Gillyweed, but Annabelle was hardly listening.<p>

"Neville?" Annabelle asked, stopping him mid sentence. He looked up from the book. "Hm?"  
>She sat up straight, sliding her legs off his lap. The book was knocked out of Neville's hands. As he fumbled to catch it, she pulled her legs under her, and turned on the seat to face him. She asked, "In the greenhouse yesterday, before you told me I was falling over, you started to say something. What was it?"<br>Neville blushed, and pulled the book up to his face. "I dunno what you're talking about, Anna. You must've imagined it or something." He mumbled something about the plant's smell getting to her, pulled his knees to his chest, held the book between his legs and his nose, and continued onto the next page, far less relaxed than before. Every so often he'd stumble over a word, or his voice would break. Annabelle thought it was very cute, but that was a thought she kept to herself.

* * *

><p>'<em>This girl is driving me insane. She knows I fancy her, she has to. I'm not exactly a subtle sort of guy. I just can't help it. I didn't even think much of her until our first study ended. Things were going fine, but when she started to mess around with her hair, I don't know what happened. That isn't even something particularly alluring, I don't know why that's what hooked me. Something just came over me. I'd never wanted to kiss a girl that badly, so I left. I didn't know what else to do. I may be a coward, but I'm not stupid. There was no way I was going to put myself in that situation. Awkward feelings all around. No thank you.<br>I should have been more careful when I showed her that Briarberry plant. I knew better, but I let it get inside my head and convince me I should just outright tell her I fancied her. Stupid plant. Or rather, stupid Neville. I'm the one who let it persuade me that I didn't have a care in the world. _

_This is Professor Sprout's fault. Annabelle didn't even want a tutor. Then I never would have met her, and I wouldn't have to use every ounce of self-control to not start snogging a girl who probably thinks I'm a loser. But she's right, of course. Clumsiness and stuttering aren't exactly turn-ons for the average girl.'_

* * *

><p>"So you've really never gone to Hogsmeade?" Neville gaped at Annabelle. "Not ever?"<br>"No?" She shrugged, pacing around the plants he'd laid out in greenhouse 3, trying to identify at least one of them. "It can't be _that_ great. I've always needed extra study time anyway."  
>"But it <em>is<em> that great! Especially now, since it only just started snowing." Neville plopped onto the dirt floor, watching her study the droopy shrubbery on the far left. "There's an outing planned this weekend, you know. There's a first time for everything."  
>Annabelle stood up straight, and thought for a few seconds. "I guess so. I don't need the study time as much now. You've been helping me so much, I guess I owe you." She laughed lightly, and turned to the next plant.<br>He grinned up at her. "It's really great, I promise. I can show you around," he paused, blushed, and brought his knees a little closer to his chest. "I mean, if you want. You might rather explore on your own."  
>She dropped the leaf she had been eyeing, and knelt down to sit across from him. She looked him right in the eyes, making an effort to hold his attention on her. "Why wouldn't I want you to show me around?"<br>"I dunno, I mean..." He shrugged, criss-crossed his legs and leaned against a large pot. He thought for a moment. "I'm sort of…" he stopped, and changed his mind. "Some people just prefer to explore things on their own." He nodded, giving himself a silent approval of his answer.  
>"Oh, come on Neville, I know you well enough to know when you're lying." She crossed her legs in an identical fashion, sitting so their knees touched and she could watch him carefully.<br>He shrugged again, looking at the pattern of the stitching on his jeans. She leaned her head down to catch his eyes, making him blush lightly.  
>"Nev?" She sat back up, pulling his gaze up too.<br>"Yeah?"  
>"Why don't you think I would want to go to Hogsmeade with you?"<br>Neville spent a moment studying her face before deciding how to answer. "I dunno, some people might be embarrassed, I guess."  
>"That's silly." She frowned a bit.<br>"Ah, I can't say I blame them." He chuckled lightly. "I'm a bit of a wreck."  
>"Neville, you are not."<br>"You only say that because you've never seen me deal with other people. I'm socially inept, Anna." He shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I spend most of my time in the greenhouses anyway."  
>"I don't think you're socially inept. You act just fine around me, you're better company than most people."<br>"Yeah, well, that's a first. I'm not normally Mr. Composure around pretty girls and-" he stopped short, flushing a bright red. His dark eyes flicked towards the greenhouse door. She was blocking his path. No way out.  
>Annabelle opened her mouth, ready to combat almost any point he could have made, then shut it again, only just hearing what he'd said. "Pretty girls?"<br>Neville sighed. There was no way out of this; he'd just talked his way into a shallow grave. "Well, yeah Anna. You're a pretty girl. Pretty girls are intimidating."  
>She watched him study his jeans again. He was still bright red around his cheeks. "Nev?"<br>"Yeah?"  
>Annabelle placed her hand on his knee to steady herself, and leaned forward a bit. She stopped two inches from his face, watching every move he made very carefully.<br>Neville blushed more intensely, and sat frozen. He knew what he should do. All he had to do was move his head forward ever so slightly. She was right there, so why couldn't he get himself to move?  
>Annabelle bit her lip and pulled back a little. She blushed this time. "Um… It's gotten pretty late. I should head back up to the castle." She stood up, turned around, and was gone before he even had a chance to call her back.<br>Neville toppled over to his right, landing with a thud and a cloud of dirt.  
>"Aw, hell."<p>

* * *

><p>'<em>You're so stupid,'<em> Annabelle told herself three days later as she made her way onto the grounds for her free period. _'He was obviously just trying to be nice, and you go and do something stupid and ruin everything. You'll end up failing Herbology for sure now.' _She saw Neville out of the corner of her eye, sitting under a tree a little ways off the path. She tried to walk faster and keep her face in the collar of her winter coat to stay out of sight. No such luck.  
>"Anna!" Neville waved her down, standing to jog over to her.<br>Annabelle started to chatter rapidly before he even got to her. "Look, Neville, I'm really sorry about the other day, I don't know what-!"  
>Neville grabbed her face gently with both hands, and kissed her. His scarf fluttered around her shoulder in the wind, and his hands had knocked her earmuffs half off. After the initial shock wore off, she closed her eyes. She could feel the snow falling around them. She was certain she was blushing hard enough to melt any snow that landed on her face. She was right. When he pulled back, she was blushing worse than he was.<br>"Anna, I'm an idiot. A really thick, oblivious idiot. And I'm really, really sorry. Can I take you to Hogsmeade tomorrow to make up for it?" He flashed her a hopeful grin, showing off his top teeth that were just a little too big.  
>She nodded, still blushing and a little in shock.<br>He smiled a bit at her, and she grinned back.  
>"Erm… I was going through one of my Herbology books. Think you'd want to read it with me?" he nodded towards the tree with his bag propped against the trunk and a large book resting on his coat to protect it from the snow.<br>"Yeah, that'd be nice." She nodded, tentatively taking his hand. It was hard to tell through his gloves, but his hands felt warm.


End file.
